If you have good parents, live in a nice neighborhood, and go to well-off schools you shouldn’t have any problems. Right?The opposite, of course, is true as teens living in elevated socioeconomic areas are destroying their lives at higher rates than ever before. Our next blogger was one such teen. These are his shoes… 9.2.18

Path2Empathy has had the privilege of learning and seeing the importance of clean water from 7th-grade student Tariku Savage and his mom, Amy. They have inspired their school and community to combat our world's water crisis by building wells in Africa. These are their shoes. 7.27.18

It's one thing to study a culture, it's another to go and embrace what it is. With great faith, MD Deysher left her home to live in Malawi, Africa to help children and those seeking medical attention. She has never been trained in the medical field but went to support and offer friendship to those in need. These are her shoes. 6.30.18

Schools are out for summer! But what will you do with your kids over the break? Take some advice from parent/teacher Edi Pettegrew to encourage an empathy building summer. 5.28.18

The best stories of empathy are often because people go back to a place of fear or pain in order to help others. Mandy Cooke is no exception. Take a walk in her shoes as a teacher and Columbine survivor. 4.19.18

The best advice a parent can get can be from those who daily walk in the shoes of our teenagers. In a time where we are looking for answers to the social trauma teens face, here is a perspective from speaker, author, and teen expert, Mike Donahue. 04.02.2018

On a random night, Amy Savage found common ground, respect, and unexpected admiration for an unlikely friend. Read her powerful empathy encounter. 02.28.18

Author, mother, PhD, and champion for kindness, Tara Cousineau, has given meaningful connection between empathy and kindness. Read the excerpt from her new book in this addition of Our Shoes. 01.30.18

Bob Clifton has reflected on 2017 and found a valuable lesson in empathy when looking at his own shoes. 12.29.17

These beautiful feet know no bounds. Meredith's path is one of courage and adventure. Take a walk in her shoes, we will "see you at the finish line." 11.28.17

We don't have to go far from home to experience the healing power of empathy...these are Heather's (and her grandma's) shoes. 11.1.17

Tips for showing empathy for those you may not relate to in our latest Our Shoes Blog. 9.24.17

No better way to start the school year than by walking in the shoes of a student. Here is Ty's perspective on being a 6th grader and how words matter. 7.31.17

As a young girl Ann Doolan-Fox had a dream of living in the US. This is her Path2Citizenship. 6.30.17

True beauty comes with its own difficult path. These are recoding artist/model Katie Jae's shoes. 5.25.17

Put your children's feet in another's shoes through the power of books, by Nora Earnest. 4.24.17

Empathy isn't easy. Take a real walk in the shoes of this sister holding on to hope and love. 3.20.17

Empathy is needed everywhere...even at the highest level in sports. Go for a run in the shoes of collegiate athletic trainer Mark Peters. 2.12.17

History is made by people like Courtney A. Metzger. His daughter, Claire, honors him in P2E's latest blog. 1.17.17

Jennicca Mabe's thoughts on empathy and forgiveness. 12.23.16

Loving an animal can be a journey. These are Jared Montoya's shoes. 11.30.16

Amy Sienkowski's Inspiring Journey on her Path2Empathy. These are her shoes 2.3.16

Angie Dawson's powerful Path2Empathy. These are her shoes... 1.4.16

Carrie Block's Shoes & Her Path2Empathy 12.10.15

An Invitation for Empathy & Jennicca Mabes's Path2Empathy 11.22.15

My path to empathy has made many twists and turns, encountering some bumps and bruises along the way but always taking me to a better place than before. My first experiences around empathy were led by my parents and grandparents. They were continually looking out for others with their time, talents or finances. This was actually played out daily in our home as my little brother had ADHD. This disorder basically runs rampant in my extended family so I was constantly challenged to put myself in his as well as others shoes. This was by no means something that came naturally, my first instinct was to fight it and I did. I tolerated him just fine - wasn’t that enough? I did not want to walk in his shoes, I wanted to be annoyed and exercise my right to tattle and complain at his level of energy and quick wit.

My parents did not give up on me learning the art of empathy. I was pushed to move past mere tolerance and land at developing a healthy respect. As I moved from middle school to high school all that my mom and dad had modeled started to actually take shape. I moved from following their trail to blazing my own. I began to actually respect the fact that he could just be on the move all the time and he was hilarious.

This gamechanger is what a good friend of mine would call a kairos moment. Kairos is a Greek word meaning a pivotal moment in time. My trajectory drastically changed and crazy things began to happen; I became protective of him. I discovered a new and heightened admiration for my parents and his teachers. I spent several summers volunteering at a camp that had a special week for those with exceptionalities. Preparation for that week as a counselor was pretty intense. We were put through numerous exercises to be able to experience how our campers lived. Simple tasks that I would take for granted and perform without much thought or effort proved tedious and time intensive for the campers. During that week I cared for their every need, which stretched me in ways that I didn’t know were possible; advancing me down the path even further. I ended up majoring in special education.My drive was to be an advocate for students with exceptionalities and help level the playing field of acadamia.

With kiddos of my own now, empathy is something I desire for them to embrace at an early age. We are always looking for teachable moments to emphasize the importance of this trait. When asked at my children’s school what I would like to see them learn, I actually wrote down “empathy” along with the typical academic hopes.

Reflecting back on my walk I have discovered that the art of empathy is something that must be continually practiced. Much like working out maintains your endurance, empathy must be exercised. I look forward to this journey and leading my own kids down this path just as my parents did for me years ago.